Dr. Elizabeth R. Corson

Dr. Elizabeth R. Corson
  • Fred Kurata Assistant Professor
She/her

Contact Info

Office Phone:
785-864-0506
Department Phone:
785-864-4965
Learned Hall, Room 4154
1530 W. 15th Street
Lawrence, KS 66045
Wakarusa Research Facility, Room #145G
1501 Wakarusa Drive
Lawrence, KS 66045

Education —

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2020
B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, 2011

Research —

Professor Corson’s research program is united by the theme of converting putative wastes into valuable products through (photo)electrochemical conversion, using renewable electricity and light as driving forces. Unlike the traditional thermochemical processes to create fuels and chemicals, electrochemical conversion can occur in a wide range of temperatures and pressures (including ambient), can use solely renewable electricity, and can be performed in modular reactors that permit small- through large-scale operation. The potential impact is great: we can address climate change by treating CO2 as a feedstock rather than a waste; improve our energy independence by offsetting the use of fossil fuels for thermochemical processes and creating renewable fuels; and implement sustainable agricultural practices by recovering resources from wastewater. 

The key challenges of electrochemical conversion are low selectivity, which requires costly separation; and low efficiency, which increases the operating costs from electricity.  The Corson Lab addresses these challenges by using nanostructured plasmonic electrodes. Nanofeatures can influence the catalytic properties of electrodes for both electrochemical and photoelectrochemical systems. 

The Corson Lab conducts interdisciplinary research in electrochemistry, photonics, materials science, and chemical engineering, and applies (photo)electrochemical conversion to three separate thrusts: 

(1) CO2 reduction to fuels and chemicals

(2) Recovery of ammonia from wastewater through nitrate reduction 

(3) C–N bond formation through co-reduction of CO2 and NxOy species  

Each research thrust incorporates (photo)electrochemical cell design, nanomaterial fabrication, in situ techniques, and ex situ product analysis. 

Selected Publications —

  • Corson, E. R., Kas, R., Kostecki, R., Urban, J. J., Smith, W. A., McCloskey, B. D., and Kortlever, R. In Situ ATR–SEIRAS of Carbon Dioxide Reduction at a Plasmonic Silver Cathode. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 142 (27), 11750–11762, 2020. 
  • Corson, E. R., Subramani, A., Cooper, J. K., Kostecki, R., Urban, J. J., and McCloskey, B. D. Reduction of Carbon Dioxide at a Plasmonically Active Copper–Silver Cathode. Chem. Commun., 56, 9970–9973, 2020. 
  • Creel, E. B., Corson, E. R., Eichhorn, J., Kostecki, R., Urban, J. J., and McCloskey, B. D. Directing Selectivity of Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction Using Plasmonics. ACS Energy Lett., 4, 1098–1105, 2019. 
  • Corson, E. R., Creel, E. B., Kim, Y., Urban, J. J., Kostecki, R., and McCloskey, B. D. A Temperature-Controlled Photoelectrochemical Cell for Quantitative Product Analysis. Rev. Sci. Instrum., 89, 055112, 2018. 

Selected Presentations —

  • Invited Research Presentation, 245th Electrochemical Society Meeting, 2024. Probing the Reaction Microenvironment during Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia.
  • Young Chemists Webinar Series, Thermo Fisher Scientific, 2023. (Photo)Electrochemical Conversion for Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals.
  • Electrochemistry Gordon Research Conference, Late-Breaking Topic, 2022. Probing the Interfacial Electrolyte Environment during Nitrate Reduction.
  • Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar, University of Washington, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, , 2021. (Photo)Electrochemical Conversion for Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals.
  • National Chemical Engineering Future Faculty Seminar Series, 2021. Plasmon-Enhanced Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide.

Awards & Honors —

  • TomKat Center Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainable Energy, Stanford University, 2021–2023
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2015-2020
  • Rising Star in Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019
  • Next Generation Electrochemistry Fellow, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2019

Service —

  • Discussion Leader, Plasmon-Enhanced Electrochemistry Session, Electrochemistry Gordon Research Conference. 2024.
  • Chair, Electrochemistry Tutorial Session (Invited Talks), AIChE Annual Meeting, 2023.
  • Co-Chair, Electrocatalysis & Photocatalysis V Session, AIChE Annual Meeting, 2023.
  • Chair, Electrochemistry Gordon Research Seminar, 2022.
  • Co-Chair, Electrochemistry Tutorial Session (Invited Talks), AIChE Annual Meeting, 2022.